This invention relates to pouch filling apparatus, and more particularly the invention relates to the spout that enters the pouch and through which product flows during the filling operation.
In the pouch form, fill, seal machine to which the present invention is directed, a web is folded upon itself longitudinally and is transversely sealed at spaced intervals to form pouches between the seals. That transversely-sealed web is fed to a filling apparatus. At the filling apparatus, the web is passed around a horizontal drum having spaced vertical lands on which the seals are positioned. The spacing of the lands with respect to the pouches is such that the pouches are opened slightly as they are positioned on the lands. Suction cups behind each pouch may be provided to assist in the opening.
Above the horizontal drum is an inclined spout plate that rotates with the drum. The spout plate carries spouts that gradually move downwardly during their excursion until they move into the open pouches. Above the pouch plate is an inclined metering wheel that measures a charge of product and, when the spout has entered the pouch, releases the measured charge to enable the product to flow into the pouch by gravity.
A spout whose discharge opening is of a fixed size is generally satisfactory for large pouches and small particles. For pouches having small openings and large particles, a problem is presented by a fixed size spout. Typical among such pouches are vending machine pouches that are long and narrow and which are filled with peanuts, coated candies and the like.
The large particles require a large opening to avoid the jamming of the particles as a charge of product attempts to flow through the spout into the pouch. But a spout having a large discharge opening will not pass reliably into a pouch as the spout is carried in a descending path by the inclined pouch plate into the pouch.